CERA must name the date

"The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority must name the date for the establishment of the Residential Advisory Service", says Christchurch City Councillor Glenn Livingstone.

Livingstone, who promoted the concept of an Insurance Tribunal and Advocacy Service through the Council last July, which the Council unanimously adopted, says that it is long past time now for the service to be established. "Despite repeatedly asking at CERA elected member meetings and at Council earthquake forum meetings for a date for the Residential Advisory Service, I have not been given one. Meanwhile, our constituents are waiting to have their insurance issues resolved. We were told "by Christmas" by CEO Roger Sutton, then the New Year and now "we don't know." "This is not good enough. The Minister has often said that there are to be no obstacles in the recovery of Christchurch. In my view, unresolved insurance issues are the obstacle which we cannot look beyond", says Livingstone. "A residential advisory service has the potential to expedite both the social and economic recovery of Christchurch and until it is implemented, the recovery will not be as quick as it could be."

Livingstone says that the evidence of unresolved insurance issues is visible in the number of homes yet to be demolished in his ward of Burwood/Pegasus, which covers most of the residential red zone. "Two years following the February 22 2011 earthquake, many of these homes are still standing, reflecting the intractable insurance issues that my constituents are dealing with. Less visible but clear evidence of unresolved insurance issues comes from the city's mental health providers, who say that many of their clients' main source of ill-health is due to unresolved insurance and therefore housing issues."

"It is in everyone's interests that a date is named for the installing of this service", Livingstone says. "Once a date is named, a commitment will be put in place. I call upon CERA to name that date now."

ENDS

© Scoop Media